Background on PIPs in Schools

Beginning in the Fall of 2019, Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) began permitting Private Instructional Personnel (PIP) to work with students with disabilities (SWDs), in classrooms during the school day if the appropriate application was submitted to and approved by the student's school principal.  The application process required the parent/guardian to provide authorization for the PIP to work with the student during the school day, acknowledgement that provision of access is subject to approval and coordaination with the local school administration, and that the PIP provides application, specification of services to be provided, and be cleared by a District approved criminal background checking process.

The commencement of enabling PIP services during the school day for students with disabilities is distinct from access enabled by FL SB 1108 (2013) enacted as Florida Education Code Chapter 1003, Section 572.  As established by the District's 2014 legal opinion, Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) nor Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts (BCaBAs), are included in the statute's list of privage instructional personnel nor meet the statutory equivalent criteria of preparation, education, or certification for inclusion in the qualifying definition of private instructional personnel.  The change in Broward County Public Schools practice beginning in Fall 2019 to enable access of privately funded RBTs and BCaBAs to students during the school day maintains that determination. The decision to extend the service opportunity was made after extensive consultation with parents, classroom teachers, Exceptional Student Education (ESE) professionals, ESE advocates, and legal counsel.  The processes established to enable PIP services in schools balance the benefits of additional services for specific students, the impact of additional personnel in a classroom on the other students and educational professionals, and the logistical and supervisory burden placed on the school personnel. With the initial closure of BCPS due to COVID-19 on March 13, 2020, all school activities, including PIP services were closed suspended on March 16, 18, and 19.  School operations resumed after Spring Break on March 30, 2021 via eLearning and PIP services were available at parental discretion in the home or other non-school building learning location though the last day of school on June 4.  When the current school year began, using the eLearning 2.0 modality, the Florida Department of Education approved the BCPS Reopening Plan, on August 17, 2021, PIP services continued under the same terms as from the spring.  Upon school buildings fully reopening for "brick-and-mortar" instruction for all students on October 15, PIP support for student development remained limited to non-school building locations due to COVID-19 public health protocols.

Last Edited: Friday, May 30, 2025, 7:19:07 PM